


Hilda Plans a Party

by EuphoricMother



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fanfiction, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Other, Post-Time Skip, Shenanigans, Surprise Party, Unexpected Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 00:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30064005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EuphoricMother/pseuds/EuphoricMother
Summary: With Byleth's birthday approaching, Hilda decides it would be the perfect break in all the war chaos to throw a party.  Pulling it together, is another matter.Hilda stared at Mercedes, her mouth dropping open as her eyes swept over at her disarrayed appearance dusted with flour.  “You look like you have been really busy with your baking.  What happened?”“The Professor came in and startled me.  That was just before she realized I was baking...She ate almost all of them!  I have to basically start all over.”Written by request
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	Hilda Plans a Party

“I think we can pull this off,” Hilda said with a smile as she looked at Marianne, Claude, and Ignatz as they stood outside the old Golden Deer classroom. “I mean, how hard can it be. It’s not like we use this room very much anymore.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Ignatz expressed as he looked at Claude. “You’re good at this type of sneaking thing, Claude. Don’t you think we can all work together for this?”

Claude looked at Ignatz. “I should take offense at your implying that I am the sneaky type, Ignatz. I prefer to consider my movements as strategic planning for a desired outcome. However, I do think this is a worthwhile project that we can definitely make happen.”

Hilda smiled as she leaned against Claude. “I knew you would see it my way and agree.” The idea to surprise the Professor with a party for her birthday struck her during a boring war meeting where she noticed that Byleth appeared to be simply drained of patience with all of the marching and fighting as they continued on their quest of beating Edelgard. She seemed almost depressed since the death of Dimitri only a couple of weeks ago at Gronder.

“We should ask Lorenz for ideas, don’t you think?” Marianne asked now. Since it seemed that Lorenz and Byleth were growing quite close, much to the surprise of everyone, it only seemed logical that he would have a few suggestions for her.

“Considering his continued bristling at me any time I approach him with an idea,” Claude said now, “I suggest you pull him off to the side and talk to him about it, Hilda.”

“Will do. Oh! And I bet Mercedes would be perfectly willing to bake some of those cakes the Professor seems to like so much, as well as, a few other goodies. It will help bring her out of her funk after what happened at Gronder.”

“Oh, I agree,” Ignatz chimed in. “So, let’s get to work.”

Claude smiled at Hilda as Marianne and Ignatz headed off to begin ideas for decorations. “Gotta hand it to you, Hilda, you do manage to find a way to bring a little ray of sunshine into every situation.” His hand lifted now to push her long hair over her shoulder as he leaned in to drop a quick kiss to her cheek. “Must be why I love you,” he quietly added.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said as she ran a finger along the whiskers at the angle of his jaw. “And later, you will tell me it’s for some other reason.”

He lightly chuckled. “True. There are just so many things about you that captivate me.” He lifted a brow now. “And just as many that make me shake my head and wonder why.”

“Hey!” she began to complain as her eyes noticed Lorenz now as he walked out of the courtyard. “Oh! There’s Lorenz. I gotta go tell him about the party and get his ideas.”

“Yeah,” Claude said as he turned his head toward Lorenz, “good luck with that. I am going to see if I can’t find Seteth and mention it to him.”

“Okay, but be sure he knows it’s a secret!” Hilda said as she trotted off toward Lorenz. “Lorenz! Wait up a minute!”

Brows lifting, Lorenz watched Hilda trotting toward him as he considered how inappropriate she appeared doing so with her skirt catching in the breeze. “Honestly, Hilda, what is that you could possibly need that has you bouncing toward me in such a manner.”

“First, where’s the Professor?” she asked as she quickly glanced around.

“She was going to speak with Seteth about a map of the area around Fort Merceus. Why?”

Pink brows lowered as she considered that Claude would undoubtedly run into her in his mission. Oh well, he would have to use that quick mind of his. Not her issue, she decided. “Listen, we know that the Professor has been really busy with all of this war mess and then the death of Dimitri seemed to have hit her pretty hard.”

“Of course, it did,” Lorenz agreed. “But what is your point?”

“We also know that her birthday is in a few days, before we head out again. So, I got to thinking that we could throw a surprise party for her in our old classroom.” She smiled at him, pleased with her idea more and more as it began to roll now.

“Oh!” His hand lifted to his chest as he smiled at her. “What a lovely idea.”

“Right? So, we are gonna have Mercedes bake her little heart out with those little cakes and cookies she likes so much. Ignatz, Marianne, and Leonie are gonna run out and see about decorations and maybe some kind of gift for her. Claude and I will try to run interference while I also take the lead on making sure everything falls together at just the right time.”

“This is most kind of you all to do for her. Of course, I shall do what ever you feel suits me in way of assistance.” 

Hilda regarded him carefully for a moment as she pondered over anything at all he could, or even would agree to do. “Well, right now, I will simply need for you to make sure she doesn’t catch on. Or if she thinks anything is going on, you can find a way to sway her attention.” She lifted a brow. “Think you can manage that? Even if it means a bit of public cuddling on your part?”

“Public—” he stared at her. “Honestly, Hilda. There is a time and place for such actions.”

“Oh, I know there is, Lorenz.” She chuckled now as she tipped her head to the side. “And sometimes, the time is simply when the urge takes hold, no matter the place. You just think on that one a bit and make sure you do your part.”

He watched her walk away now as he considered doing any more than his usual taking her arm or holding her hand while in the audience of others. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure his upbringing could allow such a thing. Venturing his first kiss with her had even been a struggle to manage one evening while in the shadows outside her door. His brows lowered as he considered having to put his etiquette aside for the cause. Perhaps.

Hilda closed the door to the empty, lower-level dorm room they were using to stash supplies for the party. “Okay, so we have some great colorful lanterns to hang and the table cloths. We’ll get some flowers just before the party to use as a centerpiece.” She looked at Marianne now. “Were you able to get some of those packages of confetti that we can sprinkle on the table for some color?”

“I was,” Marianne said with a smile. “And Ignatz was able to get a better price since we agreed to buy all he had.”

“Ooooh, great job!” Hilda said and turned to Leonie. “What do you have there?”

Leonie reached into her tote and pulled out a couple of bottles of alcohol. “Ta da!”

“Wow,” Hilda slowly said as she stared at her. “Not what I was expecting.”

“What?” Leonie said as she reached in and pulled out another bottle. “We are all adults. Besides, I happen to know that the Professor likes this particular drink because she used to drink it with Captain Jeralt.”

“Oh, Lorenz would probably not approve,” Marianne pointed out.

“It isn’t his party, Marianne,” Leonie pointed out quickly. “It is the Professor’s, and I am positive that she will be happy to drink a toast with this.”

“She may be right,” Ignatz agreed. “After all, it is for her, not for us. We should be thinking of her likes and dislikes, right?”

Hilda drew a slow breath. “I suppose.”

“So, tomorrow afternoon, after our meeting, we will just get the food and a few other things here into the classroom,” Hilda said. “We can start the decorating and get everything else set up in the morning before the meeting if we plan this right.”

“Mercedes is actually baking some of the treats today,” Ignatz informed. “She has been really busy, last I checked.”

Byleth walked into the dining hall and smiled at the sweet smell coming from the kitchen area. Her eyes spotted Mercedes and wasted no time walking over to her. “I knew you were baking,” she said, clearly startling Mercedes. “Oh! I am so sorry,” she said as Mercedes dropped a cup of flour causing it to poof upward and then spill all over her.

Mercedes looked at Byleth as she began to brush herself off a bit. “That’s okay, Professor. I was just so involved, I didn’t notice you.” She stopped what she was doing now and looked at Byleth as she reached out and snagged a cookie from the plate on the table behind her.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t resist,” Byleth offered as she bit into the cookie and closed her eyes as she enjoyed the sweet taste. “This is exactly what I needed. You have no idea.”

“Well, I am glad that I can help,” Mercedes slowly said as she watched her take another one. Knowing she couldn’t very well tell her to stop, since she had always told her to take as many as she wanted. She gnawed the inside of her lower lip beginning to wonder if there was going to be a stopping point.

It was nearly half an hour and more than half a plate of the cookies before Lorenz appeared. “There you are,” he said as he approached the pair. His eyes swept over Mercedes, noticing the flour dusting over her arms and a streak across her face as she looked at him with a pleading expression. “Perhaps, you would care to join me for our afternoon tea, Byleth?”

Sweeping her tongue over her lips, she smiled up at Lorenz. “Tea would be perfect after enjoying Mercedes’ cookies.” She glanced at Mercedes now with a smile. “Sorry, I seem to have practically emptied the plate,” she offered while still snatching a couple more.

Mercedes plastered on a smile and said, “Oh, that’s okay, Professor. You know I can always make more.”

“Well, shall we go?” Lorenz prompted as he held his arm out toward Byleth.

“See you later, Mercedes,” Byleth said as she wrapped her hand around his arm and they headed toward the door.

Mercedes waited a moment before she dashed out to find Hilda with Claude near the greenhouse discussing flowers. “Hilda!”

Hilda stared at Mercedes, her mouth dropping open as her eyes swept over at her disarrayed appearance dusted with flour. “You look like you have been really busy with your baking. What happened?”

“The Professor came in and startled me. That was just before she realized I was baking. She just left the kitchen with Lorenz,” Mercedes explained.

Claude chuckled. “No doubt she sampled a few.”

Mercedes stared at Claude now. “A few? She ate almost all of them! I have to basically start all over.”

“Oh, no,” Hilda groaned. “Where does she even put all of this food she consumes anyway. We will need to replace the supplies for sure now. How about I see if Marianne can help you. Where did Lorenz take the Professor now?”

“He took her away for tea,” Mercedes answered with a sigh as she attempted to brush off more of the flour residue on her arms.

Claude looked at Hilda. “You go in and talk to the greenhouse gardener while I go and fetch Marianne to help Mercedes.” He frowned, “I will also check to make sure Lorenz has her occupied in the far corner of the courtyard for a while. That should keep her clear of the kitchen, though I doubt she would have room for any more food. Then again, it is our Teach and her seemingly ravenous appetite we are dealing with.”

Ignatz grabbed a box and headed to the classroom to begin the decorating. With a bit of luck, everything but the food would be set up and ready for when they finished their meeting. Leonie grabbed another box while Hilda followed along to supervise. As they headed toward the classroom, Ignatz stopped short having seen the Professor walking across the lawn toward Claude. His abrupt halt had Leonie crashing into him with Hilda following suit.

Claude, seeing the group heading toward the classroom with the boxes reached out and grabbed Byleth. “Hey, Teach,” he greeted.

“Claude,” she said as she looked at his hand holding her arm. “I am just heading meet Lorenz down by the greenhouse before we head to the meeting.”

As she started to turn toward where the others were holding fast, boxes in hand as they stared his way, he had to think of something. Without too much consideration, Claude pulled her against him and pressed his lips to hers. Shifting them just a bit, he continued to hold her as his eyes looked toward the group while he waved one arm toward the classroom to get them moving again.

Hilda gaped at him, hardly believing her eyes as she reached one hand out and pushed them toward their goal. “Of all the,” she muttered.

“Oh! What is this?!” Lorenz said now as he appeared behind Hilda, his eyes falling on Claude and Byleth locked in a kiss.

Byleth’s eyes, stretched wide as her lips remained bonded to Claude’s while one of his arms held her tight against him. Finally, she managed to think past her sudden surprise and brought her hands up to push him back. “What the hell, Claude?” she demanded. “Have you lost your damn mind?”

Lorenz came up now and stared at Claude. “Not how I would have worded it, but I demand to know the answer as well.”

Claude stared at Hilda as she glared at him, her hands coming to rest on her hips. “I did, apparently, lose my mind for a moment,” he said as he looked at Byleth. “My apologies, Teach. You know how, sometimes, you just can’t seem to control yourself from doing something completely out of the norm? Just a moment of spontaneous action.”

Byleth wiped her hand across her lips now as she lowered her brows. “I do not.” She looked up at Lorenz. “You do realize that I had nothing to do with that,” she said evenly.

“I should hope not,” Lorenz said before scowling at Claude. “How dare you force yourself on Byleth in such a manner. And in front of Hilda. You, you masher.”

“You and I will talk about this later, Claude,” Hilda said as she looked at Byleth. “I think we have a meeting to prepare for, don’t we, Professor?”

“We do.” Her eyes slowly moved to look at Claude now as he sheepishly grinned at her and lifted a shoulder. “You just…” she began as she lifted her finger at him while she still couldn’t believe his actions and yet his stupid grin clearly reflected that he wasn’t at all apologetic for it. 

“Come on, Teach,” Claude said now. “Wasn’t that unpleasant, was it?”

She almost smiled now. Almost. “Shut up,” she said as she took Lorenz’s hand. “I mean really, Claude,” she quietly grumbled. “What the fuck?”

“Byleth,” Lorenz admonished. “We shall hope that this will not happen again in the future, or I shall be forced to defend your honor.”

Claude chuckled. “Yeah, you do that, Lorenz.”

“He won’t have to,” Hilda stated now, “because I will personally be sure there is nothing left of you for him to face.”

Claude lifted his hands now in gesture. “Okay, okay. Didn’t make the best rash decision here. Got it. Usually really fast thinking on my feet. This case, not the best decision. Sorry, Teach. Hands and lips to myself from now on.” He glanced at Hilda. “Or just on this lovely lady.”

“Hmph, we’ll think about that one,” Hilda grumbled.

“Perhaps, this is what you meant when you once told me that one simply must act when an urge takes hold?” Lorenz stated as he looked at Hilda. 

“You said that?” Claude asked as he looked at Hilda.

“I meant his urges, Claude,” Hilda stated now. “Not yours. And your urges are supposed to be for me, not the Professor!”

“Seems this conversation is circling back a bit to the beginning,” Claude pointed out.

“While you two figure it out,” Lorenz began, “we will be heading to our meeting. And you,” he directed at Claude as he lifted a finger, “will not sit in your usual place next to Byleth.” He looked at Hilda. “Perhaps, you should sit between them from now on. Let us go, Byleth.”

Leaving the meeting, Lorenz made sure to keep Byleth from heading out too quickly since there was still a bit of preparation to handle with the food being brought in and set up. Once Seteth left the Cardinal’s Room, he slowly closed the door and looked at Byleth. 

Looking up at him, she lifted a brow as her hand reached out to rest on his. “You do know that I had nothing to do with that interlude earlier, right?”

He smiled at her. “I do.” As much as he wanted to be annoyed with her that she didn’t react quicker, and possibly a bit more violently at Claude’s action, he couldn’t. Byleth was a rather unique woman of a completely different character than he had always thought he needed. It was, in the end, what drew him to her. Deciding to be a bit bold, his hand moved to cup her chin as he stared down at her. “Happy birthday, Byleth.”

“You remembered,” she sighed. “Thank you, Lorenz.”

He hesitated a moment before lowering his head and softly bonding his lips with hers for a moment. “You are welcome, my dear. I do have something for you, which I will give you later.”

She smiled. “I can hardly wait.”

“Yes, well, for now. I shall escort you to another yet unplanned meeting.”

“Unplanned?” she said as he opened the door and extended his arm to her. “If it is unplanned, how do you know about it?”

“Ah, because it came about only before this meeting was called.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with Claude’s kiss?”

He frowned as they headed down the hall. “Were that the case,” he quietly muttered before clearing his throat. “It seems that there is an issue with the reconstruction of the classrooms and this involves our old room.”

“Hmmm, I hope it isn’t that our old room has a compromised wall,” she said as they walked the long route to the classroom.

“Here we are,” he said as he opened the door for her to a round of happy birthday.

She welcomed the hugs as she stepped into the room, hesitating a moment before chuckling as she accepted Claude’s hug. “Thank you. All of you.”

“Well done, Hilda,” Lorenz complimented as he watched Byleth smile in pleasure at the decorations and food set out in celebration for her.

“Thanks, Lorenz, but it was definitely a group effort. Even if it did cause the two of us a bit of annoyance in the end with our overzealous Leaderman.”


End file.
